"I knew I wanted to capture these two cities – one, a vibrant and pulsating Manhattan that we recognize so vividly, and its antonym – a life-less city turned pitch-black and ominous," writes photographer <a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Iwan Baan</a> about the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/tag/hurricane-sandy/">Hurricane Sandy</a> aftermath <a href="http://nymag.com/thecut/2012/11/more-images-from-new-yorks-sandy-cover.html">photo that everyone has been talking about</a>. The almost unbelievable image appeared on the cover of the latest edition of <a href="http://nymag.com/">New York Magazine</a> with a small overlay reading "The City and the Storm" and captivated the nation with its unique vantage point of a half-dark city. As you can imagine, though, it was no easy feat to capture this once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) shot. Read on to see what Mr. Baan wrote to us about what he had to go through to get this picture worth a million words.

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Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

The New York Magazine cover that everyone's been talking about.

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Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

3

Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

4

Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

5

Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

6

Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

7

Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

8

Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

9

Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

10

Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

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Iwan Baan NY Dark

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

12

Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

13

Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

14

Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

15

Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

16

Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

<em>The New York Magazine cover featuring the photo of a half-dark New York City taken by Iwan Baan</em>
<a href="http://www.iwan.com/">Baan </a>said that as soon as be began conceptualizing the shoot of the half-dark city, and knew that he would need a helicopter. "I began calling on all of the heli-pilots I could think of in the Manhattan area, but each of them were either without fuel, on recovery efforts, or without power themselves," he wrote to us. "To my relief, after nearly exhausting all efforts, I managed to get a hold of a pilot who I had met just a week prior, and he said yes, he was able to fly....<br><br><a href='http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photographer-iwan-baan-on-how-he-shot-that-haunting-half-dark-new-york-city-photo-from-the-sky/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

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Iwan Baan Photos NYC After Hurricane Sandy

"I knew I wanted to capture these two cities – one, a vibrant and pulsating Manhattan that we recognize so vividly, and its antonym – a life-less city turned pitch-black and ominous," writes photographer Iwan Baan about the Hurricane Sandy aftermath photo that everyone has been talking about. The almost unbelievable image appeared on the cover of the latest edition of New York Magazine with a small overlay reading "The City and the Storm" and captivated the nation with its unique vantage point of a half-dark city. As you can imagine, though, it was no easy feat to capture this once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) shot. Read on to see what Mr. Baan wrote to us about what he had to go through to get this picture worth a million words.